Day 1: Fabulous Females...

This is a series of posts that will give in small detail what I love the most about certain female characters.

While I'm in no way a Feminist, I still value strong and capable gals in fiction, who either have impressive fighting capabilities or just really honorable qualities to them that everyone should value in a girl.

I'm not a fan of my own gender, I'll be honest with that.

But I can't help but give two thumbs up to dem gals who are just pure amazement, in every shape of the word. And naturally, these girls are in no particular order.

Emily the Strange

The essence of awesomeness herself, Emily's where it's at, bro's.
She's meh girl. \|/ >___< \|/
While I'm a dog person, rather than a cat person, and I am not nearly as dark as she can be, she's one of the closest things out there I've found that's even the least bit similar to myself.
She's got an overwhelming amount of sass and toughness and digs creepy, dark things without going too deep into the creep hole herself, and she's a total genius.

Her character is one of the strangest and most complex portrayals of a gal I have yet to witness.
And I love it. Every second of it.

You can thank my sister for introducing me to Emily.
I was told for quite awhile how much Em and I are alike and once I got ahold of the four Em Strange novels and read for myself her interesting personality, I quickly caught onto the idea.
Seriously though, personal comparison aside, I love Emily and all her little adventures.
She has one heck of a background and juicy details to her past that I really wanna learn more about.
She's massively awesome and will always remain one of my favorite female characters of all time.

(still waiting for an Emily Strange movie, btw, k thnx bye)





Black Widow / Natasha Romanoff

To tell you the truth, I at first had my doubts of liking her when I heard about the way they were going to handle her character, or at least what I assumed they were going to do.
Y'know, what they normally always do to tough, strong ladies...either they over-sexualize them or make them...you know..and that's one of the main reasons why female characters just plain infuriate me sometimes.
But I never expected for her to become one of my most favorite female characters.
Like, ever.
There's no lies in anything, she's awesome.
They haven't written her wrong. They haven't screwed her up.
They haven't made her a stone wall, but they also haven't made her an emotional baby.
She doesn't get attached to people, but she still wants a few of them around just so she isn't completely alone. In most situations, she can handle her own.
But being kidnapped by a horde of robots kind've hits the breaks for her and that's ok.

They've done true justice with Widow.
She essentially does what she wants. She handles problems with a cool and calculated, sometimes snarky, manner and is super smart and skilled in what she does, it almost seems like she knows everything.
She's a girl after my own heart and a proud candidate for one of the best tough female portrayals I've ever seen done. There really hasn't been anything wrong with her character that I've been ticked off at.
Everything about her is perfect. And I truly admire her desire to make up for a difficult and tragic past and her loyalty to the rest of the Avengers, even though, honestly, she doesn't owe them anything.
So yeah, Widow...she's awesome.

Mulan

I'm not exaggerating when I say that Mulan inspired me when I was young.
She is quite literally probably the BEST example of what a tough girl should strive to be.
When I was little, Mulan was my Disney Princess. Because I related to her the most.
She inspired me in more ways than one and showed me that it was ok to be different from other girls and defy the status qou for a stretch.
When I was young, it was clear that even though I had to wear dresses and try to act proper like a lady, I was different from the other girls. I was rougher and got along better with the boys and eventually I learned that indeed, I was different.
Like Mulan, I was taught how a girl should act and what they should like and that's fine, because most girls like those things. To cake themselves in make-up, dress up, be pretty, become a gentle little doll.
But there's something within us tough girls that drives us to be more than that.
It's ok to be that way. To not be interested in what society has put in the heads of girls on how to act and what to like, and it doesn't mean that we're..you know.
I'm in total love with boys and can't get enough of them. And I get along much better with them than I do girls. Just like Mulan.

So Mulan is actually a very personal character to me. She had a good hand on the inspiration for what I wanted from myself.
And she has amazing qualities about her. She's super courageous, smart, funny and wild at heart.
She risked her life to protect her family and eventually all of China and essentially took down Shan-Yu with a fan...a fan.
She gave up and risked everything for the people she loved and did an awesome job doing it.
And in the end, she didn't gloat. She didn't shove all the men off who doubted her.
She didn't act arrogant or better than everyone else.
She did what she came to do. And then she went home.
One of the great things about her, too, was she didn't plaster herself up and flirt with every man she came across. She had her eyes fixed on one guy. And that one guy wound up becoming her husband.
In other words, she wasn't interested in relationships, except one. She waited.

So yeah, like I noted...Mulan has some amazing qualities that seriously just go unnoticed and is very much an underrated Disney girl. If any of them should serve as a suitable role model, it's definitely her.

That's all for today. ^_^ Thank you for reading, loves! ♥
Tune in again tomorrow for more of my Fabulous Female picks!

God Bless,

Day 1: Best of the Disney Films..

I decided, I need a Disney series!
Because, hey..everyone needs to do something Disney for Geek Week. :)

So I decided on dedicating this set to various Disney films (not listing all, just the ones I really like) and will finish it off with my prime favorite Disney films.
Keep in mind, I'm not getting too wordy or giving any kind of reviews.
Just giving a scale, best quality/message and what not.
^^


Lady in the Tramp

*6.5
*Shows the importance of being good to and understanding dogs. Makes you aware that they have emotion and that they're like furry people and shows some of the harsh reality of cruelty to dogs of "lower status".
Also teaches you that no matter what social background you come from, you're not so different from eachother.
*What I love the most about this movie is it's ability to pull you in quickly and make you care so much about every single dog. And they also dis cats. XD #DOGSRULE


The Little Mermaid

*6.0
*Unfortunately, there are alot of what would be considered positive points in this movie that are actually not so good. Like, for example, Ariel went against her father's orders (yeah, honey, still your father) and relentlessly went after Eric, and many times showed a strong rebellious nature, constantly doing things she was forbidden to do. She also made the choice to go to evil for help and look how that turned out. And while she might have won the guy she wanted in the end, she still wouldn't be able to go back home, so essentially, she lost her family, all for a guy. She may have given up everything for Eric and that would seem romantic to some, but it's not exactly the best role model moment for her for girls who shouldn't be treating the people that's been there from the start. Not to mention her constantly doing things that she was strictly told not to do and showing that everything worked out in the end, yeah, that doesn't sit well, from a parent's perspective.
*What I like about this movie is that it DOES have good story telling, regardless of the moral objections, and it has some good humor and likable characters. One of the downsides to it, however, is that it can get pretty cheesy. And mega does not like cheesy..


A Bug's Life

*7.5
*Brings character to creatures that you don't really think about having character, which in turn makes you more compassionate and caring to them. Despite the way they treated Flick, he proved his use and got out there to help his species, to get away from Hopper's oppression. It inevitably shows the consequences of lying, but that it's never too late to make up for it, which is a major positive among kids. It also shows that no matter what or who you are, there is strength in numbers and that speaks more powerfully against evil, as opposed to acting in fear and division.
*I love the plot and the various personalities they give to the bugs. The dialogue is great and the way everything comes together really holds my attention. Flick is an awesome little dude and a great role model for everyone. I also dig that even though he's a grasshopper, Hopper served as a very suitable villain and kept things on edge of what he was capable of doing, which is great to see among bad guys.
And the circus group in themselves were amazing, you just can't help but love 'em. ^_^


Finding Nemo

*7.0
*Shows the importance of being a parent and the undying love for a child, exploring what you'd be capable of and how far you would go to find them. Marlin and Nemo's father/son relationship is portrayed warmly and realistically. It shows the consequences of what happens when you blatantly disobey your parent. But while it displays what happens when a child goes on their own and disrespects what their parent tells them, it also shows in the end that Marlin should have some faith that bad things aren't always gonna happen and you should let your child grow, not losing your sense of protection or awareness that there is danger, but not preventing your life from going on. Be aware, but don't be scared to live.
*It's hard not to love this one, because it has a great set of characters and once again sheds light that animals have personalities, too, which humanizes them in a way. The look of everything is beautiful and vibrant, especially when they show the wide, open parts of the ocean. Dory is a jewel whom makes it very hard not to adore her. The direction of the movie also lures you in and you can't help but keep watching. It has great humor and depth and sends out a great message to both parent and child.
Plus, Bruce! ♥

That's it for now. I hope you tune in again for more of my Disney choices. ^.^

Day 1: Movies I Could Watch Again and Again..

I thought I would kick off Geek Week by starting the first of my post-chains: Movies I Could Watch Again and Again...

With this set, I will be listing movies (and movies alone) in no particular order.. since it's near impossible for me to tell what my favorite movies are, I thought it best to name the ones I find myself coming back to over and over! The number of movies I name each day may vary.
Within the listings, I will be including mini reviews (like describing how much I like this or that), and I apologize in advance if I get too wordy. Also, there will be spoilers, so if you see a name of a film you haven't seen that you're considering on seeing, I would advise skipping over to the next movie.
Now, let's begin!


1. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

Ok. I will be honest and say that this is one of my most favorite movies on the entire planet.
Why? Simply because it's Final Fantasy.
I am addicted to all things FF7 and the fact that they brought the story into a full-length movie still makes my heart giddy. I have a regular DVD version and then the extended COMPLETE version that's only for Blu-Ray. (At the time of COMPLETE's release, I did not have the means of watching it yet, so I had it on the shelf for quite awhile!)

Omgosh, I'm probably sounding like such a fangirl, but this movie is beautiful. And it'll only make sense to FF fans, tbh. I adore it, like, millions of amounts. It brings in the original game's storyline and characters together so perfectly and answers a lot of questions you might've been asking about, well, a lot.
While many fans criticized it, I praised it.
I felt it also brought a greater sense of closure for a lot of the characters, especially Cloud.
All the scenes included of Aerith and even Zack gave me a little peace about both their passings.
Cloud also has a good deal of character development here as he struggles with everything that's happened to him. Since playing the game and knowing how it ends, I know now that there was a lot, had there NOT have been a movie, that I would've liked to have seen further, so I'm honestly quite glad that they did the movie.
Cloud's struggle with not only Aerith and Zack's deaths, but also his inner battle with Sephiroth had to be addressed a little more. And they closed it out so magnificently.
You also got to see a much more dangerous, brooding side to Sephiroth that brought you into an up-close-and-personal finishing battle that was genuinely perfect. Between the length and style of it all (and let's not forget the awesome Limit Break performed by Cloud), I think they did Cloud and Sephiroth's face-off massive justice.

I'm not one to be picky about graphics, but they were rather beautiful, especially for it's time.
I love the revamped look they gave various characters and the detail they put into everything.
I think the way they brought in the gang, too, was a great nod to the game.
Annnndddd the soundtrack is awesome. Battle of the Forgotten City (also probably my favorite scene) and Beyond the Wasteland are two of the catchiest.

I must confess, the first time I watched the movie, I instantly fell in love with Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo's characters. They were suitable successors as far as danger goes in their place as villains, after the passing of Sephiroth. And yes, I did develop a crush on Kadaj, but don't judge me, I was 10 years old. XD

Many people went after the choices for the voice acting, but dude, I have no idea why.
Everyone did perfect!
I love every single one of the actors who portrayed them. Each one fits in with their character's personality rather well. Especially Yuffie, Sephiroth and Vincent.
Now every time I see George Newbern, I think of Sephiroth. ;P
For all those who complained that Kadaj and his brothers sounded a bit annoying, that was the point.
They were essentially overgrown children. Yes, they had the bodies of men, but they had the minds of little boys. So I think Steve, Fred and Dave did incredibly well making them sound like a bunch of babies. :P
(..ahem...but that didn't stop them from being attractive...ahem...)

To prevent myself from going too deep in this supposed mini-review, I'm going to proceed to just give my rating already. XD
Since I'm that big a groupie, I give the film a strong 10/10.
Because, bro, you don't even know how much I love this movie and how fiercely I will defend it.
It's one of the general reasons why I'm so in love with the idea of games being made into movies. ♥


2. Last Action Hero

If you're an Arnold fan or not, I love the guy and I love this movie! ♥
In fact, next to Terminator 2, this is probably my favorite of his.
It's the general concept of the film that attracts me the most; I mean, c'mon, who WOULDN'T wanna hang out with their favorite character?
Literally, that's the movie. The main character is given a ticket that can transport you into movies.
Why would you not.
But no, bro, this movie is where it's at. Arnold's character is awesome (like always) and admit it, we're all Danny. Seriously, Danny, he's a precious little gem, I love that kid, flaws and all.

But guys, you're not listening, it's story is astounding and so out of the ordinary, nobody ever explores the concept of everyday fans being able to cross over into their favorite (movie)'s world and interact with their favorite characters, why is this not a thing everywhere?
It's the precise type of plot that has always inspired my writing.
And don't go thinking this is some cheeky little action hero movie. It's got a great plot, great set of characters, a good amount of sass and humor, and hey is that Ian McKellen playing Death.
Seriously, if you haven't already, give it a chance.

But idk what to say, everything is awesome.
Benedict was a fantastic villain, which may surprise you skeptics. He was an actual villainous villain.

And no, just because I'm not pouring my heart and soul out for this one like I did the last does not mean I like it less, you fool.
Cuz I'm giving it a 10, ha!
Soooooo funnnnnn. ^_____^

3. The Mummy

I don't know what it is about it, but I just can never get enough of this movie.
Granted, it has a theme I'm somewhat attracted to..not Egypt itself..but mummies. And adventure.
IDK, I'm so weird. I've just always loved the concept of mummies and ancient things related to it, especially mixed in with monsters and what not. It's rather interesting.
But this film is just perfect for it's genre.
Yes, I know, it has it's flaws and plot holes, but I overlook everything and just appreciate it.
Because entertainment wise, it's so good.

Yes, you would think it's horror because of the super creepy mummy scenes, but being a mummy movie, you need to automatically accept it as horror, because let's be honest, it's a dead person...
And dead people are typically supposed to be cinematically scary.
But as dear Rachel Weisz described it once, I see it more as an adventure film than anything.
Because really, it is.
The whole feeling of the majority of everything is adventure.

I love the characters, I love the detail of things, I love the whole set-up and background of the places they go to and the way things occur. The team that serves on the good side is so favorable, you can't help but love everybody. Rick and Evie are perfect and Jonathan is perfect and the cowboys are perfect and just yes.
It was very much a shame that the Warden, Americans and Curator passed because I would've loved to have seen them all as a permanent adventuring team, honestly.
Imhotep was a great villain and his background with Anck-Su-Namun was, well, a good clear message on what you should NOT do with your life. ;P
But you gotta admit, him and her's loyalty, not to mention that of his servants, after all those years of being dead...pretty impressive.

Oh yeah and Ardeth is pure awesomeness, nuff said.

If you haven't, you should try it.
The movie is mesmerizing and serves as a great flick to feed your great movie night craving.
I give it a 9.9. While I seriously love this movie, it had a problem;
why would they give powers of invincibility to a dead person?
yep.

That does it for now. :)
Check back again tomorrow for more of my beloved movies! ♥

Geek Week, 2015!

Bright and wonderful morning to all!

Today marks our first day for The Character World's first ever Geek Week!
In case some of you are not familiar with the concept of Geek Week, I shall explain...
it's a marvelous invention created just for us geeks, to literally geek out about any and all things that we're passionate about. A week solely for celebrating your many fandoms or just your favorite things.
You can celebrate it in any way, for as many days, be it one thing or two things or 100 things.

Since the rest of the admins and I were unable to find an official date for the official Geek Week, we decided to come up with our own! So, starting today on September 28, we'll be posting about various things that we're passionate about and we hope you enjoy the ride.
I will be posting mostly my favorites in fandoms and my personal opinions. Some things will be counted as mini reviews, perhaps-- and I will do my best to post every day with a wide range of fun little treats.

So, sit back and munch on some popcorn!
We hope you enjoy the experience just as much as us!
And don't feel shy to join in on Geek Week, too! And we'll be most pleased to hear your thoughts and/or requests. :) God bless, all! And happy geeking! ♥

Why do I like Gotham?

That is a question that I wonder on Mondays, the day of Gotham episodes. I think I have come up with an answer to that question: The villains are intriguing.

I've always loved Batman, but I'd never really liked the villains. I had always thought that the villains were kind of unrealistic, especially Penguin. I pretty much didn't like any Batman villains except The Joker and Harley Quinn.

Now, as I watch Gotham, I absolutely love the villains. Penguin, whom I love the most, has convinced me that I can love any Batman villain. 

In Gotham, it makes it normal for you to like the villain. I get to see the villains up close. I can see their drive, and why they do what they do with more clarity. It's the beginning of everything in Gotham, which will eventually lead to the need for Batman. But for now Gordon is the only real hero.

It is great to see how it all got started. The characters are amazing, and I'm always on my toes on what will happen next. It's of the best script writing on the planet. They have these really intense moments, with funny twists to them. What is there not to love?

Gotham is great for those who want villains... villains... aaaaand more villains.

Which is why I love Gotham so much. ^.^

Legolas Graceful Rockstar Greenleaf.

Star Wars & The Expanded Universe

Though it’s not as mainstream as the movies, the Star Wars Expanded Universe is very popular, especially among fans. Starting after Return of The Jedi and continuing from thereon, the world has expanded as different authors produce different stories, which can be found in books, video games, television series, and more. The universe is so big that Disney probably felt the need to not make it canon for their movies—it would be very difficult to keep up with the continuity, and the one in the EU doesn’t always stay consistent due to all the different writers and stories.

So where do I stand on all of this? 

I have to admit: I have a complicated relationship with the EU. Sometime after finishing the Original and Prequel trilogy in 2005, my older brother introduced me to Wookiepedia, arguably one of the most reliable fan-based Star Wars internet encyclopedias (i.e. Star Wars’s version of Wikipedia), where I began to delve into EU material. A lot of the stuff I felt was inconsistent with the Star Wars movie timeline—and also contained continuity errors and doses of out-of-character (OOC) portrayals of some of my favorites. “Why would Luke turn to the dark side?” I questioned when I had learned of it. “Why wasn’t Mara Jade mentioned in the films if she was such an important figure to the Emperor?” So many “Why didn’t the character do this?” or that, and then some of the story lines themselves perplexed me. 

I particularly bagged on the 2008 Clone Wars series whenever it came out; while the 2002 one felt like it (and probably was intended to) follow the movie timeline up to Revenge of The Sith, this one did not. Instead, it felt like it had its separate storylines, with events that seemed enormous during the Clone Wars never being mentioned once in the movies. My biggest pet peeve, I remember, was the Ashoka Tano character. Why would Anakin be forced to take on a Padawan?” I thought, not liking the idea, “And why wouldn’t he mention her in Revenge of The Sith?” She seemed too important of a character not to—she was one of the protagonists, after all. 

But I got over that several years later—either last year or this year, unfortunately. Yes, yes, I know, it took me 5-6 years to get over it and mature, but to be fair, I was only 8 when I first started “hating” on the EU and 11 with the Clone Wars. Anyway…

My biggest problem with the EU is continuity. Everyone is supposed to be connected, and I tried to connect everything, but I ran into too many inconsistencies in the characters’ behaviors, new characters whom were important but never mentioned in the films, storminess that seemed to contradict one another…

But that’s really just the problem: it was trying to be canon. I didn’t know that there were SO many writers and that they had their own separate storylines—of COURE they’re going tone continuity errors and such! In fact, now that I think about it, they did a mighty good job trying to connect the stories together for so many stories!

I think it would have been better to just have alternate universes, which is why I’m glad Disney made the EU non-canon. Actually, I wish they would have used some of the awesome new characters introduced in the stories (I’ll get to that later), but I understand their decision: there is just too much EU material to cover to make sure that you’re not interfering with anything, and it was a hassle I’m sure they didn’t want to go through. Deeming it “non-canon” seems a little extreme, I can see, especially for fans who grew up with it (I’m pretty sure the Thrawn Trilogy started in the 80s after Return of the Jedi), but maybe they could have gone (and will, eventually) with the alternate universe route instead.

Actually, that brings me to another thing: the different cannons. G-canon (George Lucas’ canon) is “real” canon and counts the movies and any EU material George deemed happened, so that can be seen as the main universe. And then after that I think is the book canon, which makes sense since the EU books started after the films. After that I believe are the television series (though Disney considers Clone Wars and Rebels canon, despite my reservations), and the other things go into their own canon. Basically, as one person working on the Star Wars franchise did (it may have been George himself!), the different canons can be seen as alternate universes. This definitely avoids confusion

But enough of that: I like to get the negative stuff out, the “bad news” before the “good news”. Let me explain what I like about the EU.

Contradictory to what I said about some of the storylines, some of them were REALLY interesting and fit into the timeline pretty well. The Thrawn Trilogy, for example, intrigued me greatly. While I have still yet to read it, I really want to.

And my issues with Ashoka went deeper than her being Anakin’s apprentice; I didn’t care for the character herself. If it was just that she didn’t fit in canon, then I should have said the same thing about Mara Jade and Siri Tachi and Feris Oilon, but I didn’t. To me, the latter characters felt well-rounded, interesting, and unique; Ashoka did not. I felt like she was the atypical spunky teenage heroine, a female version of Anakin. She was bland to me, and still is to an extent (though I’ve learned to get rid of my unnecessary hate for her). It’s not that I don’t like Ashoka; it’s more that I don’t find her to be an interesting character, but I see her so much that I’d like to like her but can’t. 

Anyway, the EU has things I like in it and things I don’t, just like everything else. I don’t want to consistently argue about how it’s not canon, and now that I’ve gotten older, I’ve matured from that (thankfully). The EU has its place in the Star Wars universe, and, though it is really long and would probably take forever to cover all of the material, I really love how they expanded the Star Wars universe. I love the franchise so much; the only reason I was so critical of it is because of my deep love for Star Wars. 

Adventures with The Character Queen; the Hype Awakens..

Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you how much of a loon I am for good old Winter time.

Autumn's pretty cool, too. Not all too crazy about it like a lot of people I know, but I enjoy it cuz it starts to bring in the cold and cozy Winter season. Bring on the Christmas!

Yes, I am one of those crazy few people on this planet who prefers the cold.

So as you can imagine, I'm thrilled that September is finally here. ♥

I'm also one of those few crazy people who gets Christmas presents ahead of time. I've been doing it since late July or so and have so far covered 4 people and even 2 birthdays. ;)

Trust me. It's worth it in the long run when you see a bunch of awesome things to actually buy for yourself.

So yeah, I was out shopping late tonight and spotted quite a few lovelies in the store.

I think I'll also share the things I saw the other day.

Welcome to a lovely piece from your Queen's adventurous store photography!

I originally had a ton of pics from that particular store, but as you can see, I combined them all.

Couldn't help but fangirl hard at the vg ones and laugh my butt off at the fire chicken.

I also took a brief trip to the sunglasses section whilst waiting for my mom...

Yeah, I'm not proud.

Next will be the ones from tonight. I know a few of these Artemis will love. :)

Clear the way for your Queen, fools!

XDDD

Couldn't help but get these! They were major amounts of adorable. <3

They get rid of these things like the plague, so I had to snap a shot before it was gone!

Oh and hey, Artemis, found something for your future kid. XDDD

And something for my future kid. ;)

Now here's something that my dad drew my attention to.

Please understand, I in no way endorse Elsa's reign, but someone's got to shed light on the gruesome reality of Disney Monarchy and the vicious controversy they ignite in their citizens.

I, for one, find it disgraceful that some heathen would publicly put up a display like this.
Someone obviously has it in bad for Disney royalty and we must find them and put a stop to this brutality.

That's all for that trip, I'm afraid!

I did, however, enjoy feasting tonight on the lovely bag of Pumpkin candy corns! <3



Yes, I know, they're not average candy corns, but I honestly prefer these ones over the original.
They taste so much more richer and heavenly and I'm positively too addicted to them. >.<
But I am pleased to see they have arrived early and I couldn't be any more giddy. <3

That's all for now! I hope you enjoyed the fun. :)
Come back next time for more adventures with your Queen! ^^

God bless,